We fell in love with barn-style track systems that are hanging gorgeous doors in and on all the design magazines and websites right now. What we couldn’t stomach was the $400+ price tag. We searched high and low for a tutorial that would tell us how to re-create the rustic-meets-modern look of this exposed hardware, but couldn’t find any that were detailed enough or produced the look similar to the kits we would buy if we had a limitless budget.

So Scott spent weeks designing and putting them together himself, for a total of less than $120 (not including tools).

He is so extremely thorough and pays so much attention to detail it kinda makes my head spin. We’re very opposite like that. So I’m sure you can imagine how much “fun” we’ve had collaborating on this blog post. And hopefully you can understand why it’s taken over a month to get it up after I let you all peek at our doors this summer.

Let me say, because of his attention to detail and insistence on creating a very thorough tutorial, complete with materials list and illustrated diagrams, it should (hopefully) be easy for the intermediate handyman/woman to recreate in a weekend.

Please note: THIS IS NOT A BEGINNER’S PROJECT. I’m not saying you can’t do this as your first DIY project, but it’s definitely challenging if you’re new to using these tools.

Please also note: You will need a variety of tools to do this. That said, most of the tools would likely be found in your garage if you’ve done a few home-improvement projects.

To start, you’re going to attach the track wheels to the bars that will hold up your doors. The diagram above can be viewed at full size by clicking on it, or going here.

Let’s walk through each of the steps illustrated above.

1. Grab a 3/4″ x 36″ x 3/16″ flat bar, and begin to bend the bar about 6-8 inches from the top. Bend the bar to a 90 degree angle.

This part is not exactly easy and takes some strength. Scott started the bend by laying it over a piece of the bent angle steel on the floor with about 6-8 inches sticking off one side, standing on top of the steel bar. He started bending it with his weight by stepping down on it. After he got the bend started, he hammered it until it reached 90 degrees.

2. Place the steel round rod (dowel rod) inside the seam. Hammer the flat bar another 90 degrees until the bar has completely folded over. Keep the rod in the seam of the bend the entire time so your bend is curricular to allow head space for the wheel.

The rod and the flat bar need to be held in place (preferably by someone else standing on them) as you continue to hammer the flat bar until it’s folded. That someone else, in our case, MAY have been our 4-year-old.

3. Place your drill 1.5 inches from the top of the bend. Drill a 7/32″ pilot hole through both sides of the bended rod. To prevent from burning out your drill bit, you may want to dip your drill bit periodically into some engine oil. If it does get dull, sharpen the tip with your grinder.

4. Using a crowbar, pry the bent end of the bar away from the straight end to make room to insert the wheel. Only pry it about 45 degrees.

5. Insert the wheel and shaft. Line up the shaft with the drilled holes. As you can see in the image, the shaft will likely have to go in at an angle. As you slowly hammer it down, it will straighten out. (Make sure the shaft doesn’t get pinned between the steel pieces or pressure from the hammer might break or jam it.)

6. Now cut the extra length off (at 11 3/4″ from the top of the bend) from the long end of the bar and the short end, using your miter saw with a masonry blade. The excess from the long end will be used for a second wheel and bar.

Please be careful when you cut the excess off at the top near the wheel that you don’t hit the wheel with the blade. Be prepared for sparks!

7. Drill 3/8″ pilot holes 5″ from the top of the bend and 10″ from the top of the bend. Again, use motor oil if needed to keep your bit from dulling, and use the grinder to re-sharpen your drill bit as you work. You can also use the grinder to smooth out the cuts at the ends and where the holes are drilled.

Repeat those steps 3 more times (assuming you’re only hanging 2 doors and/or only need 4 wheels on bars), and then have a beer…

Unless you’re jumping right into the next part of this project: the track. (If you’re on my homepage, click through to read more.)

This image can also be viewed at a larger size by clicking on it or going here.

The key ingredients for the track system are the wooden backboard, the steel track, and the spacers between the two, which rest atop the washers.

For two or more doors, you’re probably not going to find a steel piece long enough to have a continuous track. At least not at your big box home improvement stores. You won’t have a problem finding a long enough piece of wood, though, so once you’re finished adhering the whole system to your back board, it will be one solid piece.

To make our own spacers, we bought a steel pipe and cut it to length using the miter saw with the masonry blade. It’s important the washers are sandwiched between the pipe spacers and the backboard so the pressure is distributed and they don’t dig into the wood.

The bolts in the middle of the track need to be flush with the track (so your doors can glide over them), so it’s important to countersink them.

We left specific measurements out of the track design because it’s going to vary based on your specific use. Be sure when you’re determining the length of your backboard and track that you account for the doors opening completely, and you’re going to want the ends of the track (or as close to it) to drill into studs with lag screws (as shown in the diagram).

Note that your pilot hole in the wall for the lag screws should be 9/32″

Take your 36″ x 1″ x 1/8″ steel angle piece and cut it 1 1/4″ from the end to create your stoppers. Drill a 3/8″ pilot hole into one end of it (off-center, away from the bend) and drill the lag screw through the end piece, the track, the spacer, the washer and into the back board and wall.

If you want to stop the doors in the center of the track, repeat this process with two stoppers in the middle like we did.

We aren’t including instructions on how to make the doors in this tutorial, though we hope to have them up shortly in a separate tutorial.

To hang the track (one solid piece at this point after assembly), we rested the doors on top a 1/2″ piece of drywall we had lying around (because we knew we wanted a 1/2″ clearance from the floor). I held the doors in place while Scott placed the track on top of the doors, resting the bottom of the steel bar of the track directly onto the top of the doors. Then he measured 7/8″ from the very top of the wood back board and made a line across the width of the track.

We laid the doors back down to get them out of the way, and Scott used that line to attach the track to the wall, lining the top of the back board up to the line.

To attach the wheels and bars to the door, we set the doors back on the drywall sheet, and I held them against the closet as Scott placed the wheels over the track and marked where he wanted them to be bolted to the doors. Then we took them back down and he attached them.

Now, let’s talk about a couple added safety features. These are steps you can only take AFTER you’ve assembled your doors and attached the wheels to them.

Once you’ve got everything assembled and are ready to hang the doors, you’ll most likely want to install jump-plates to keep your doors from jumping off the track.

Measure the depth of your door (how thick it is). You’re going to want to cut a steel angle to that measurement. Hang your doors on the track. Then measure from the bottom of the track to the top of the door and subtract 1/8″ off that measurement. Trim down one side of the steel angle to this measurement with the grinder.

You’re going to have to re-measure for each wheel because the measurements may vary slightly.

On the other side of the steel angle drill a 1/4″ pilot hole and attach the piece to the top of the door using a wood screw, directly below where the wheel rests on the track.

One final safety feature we added to ours (after my many visions of our rambunctious children somehow managing to pull the doors down on top of themselves) are these back door roller assembly pieces and an aluminum c-channel strip.

The rollers attach to the wall, near the corner of the door opening, and the c-channel strip runs the width of the door along the backside. The rollers fit into the c-channel strip.

This serves double duty, keeping the doors from pulling away from the wall.

There you have it! A DIY Barn Door Track Tutorial that will leave you with a gorgeous custom piece that looks like something out of a design magazine.

While we tried to be as thorough as possible with this, it’s certainly possible we missed some things, so please chime in in the comments section with any questions you have. Please be sure to leave your comments in the blog comments portion and not the Facebook comments portion since I don’t receive notification of Facebook comments on here and may miss your question.

Holy crap! My head is spinning from this tutorial. 1.) You weren’t joking…he is crazy with the details. Did he write these instructions down as he went? 2.) I think he missed his calling in life and should be a custom carpenter.

I wish your husband would consider actually making the hardware system and selling it on Kickstarters. I think a lot of people out here, like me, want to get barndoor hardware to have a set, but can’t afford the high price tag. Your husband could actually have these made and sell them on Kickstarter. I a, sure it could do very well.

Maybe check it out?
I am not a handiperson, nor is my spouse, so we can’t do what your husband does here. But if we could buy the hardware premade, we could then put it together.

Just an idea for you to consider. A lot of Kickstarter projects are just like this.

Thanks for taking to show us this. I have one question for you. How quiet is the roller? I want to use it for a door that will go into the bathroom. I’m thinking that you would want a very quiet door so that you don’t wake up the other person sleeping in the room when you use the door in the middle of the night. Thanks for your reply.

I too wonder about how loud the door is while sliding? I’ve always wanted one to block off our upstairs so we can put the kids to bed while having friends over, but I wonder how noisy the door is if we need to go upstairs. Of course I bet there are less noisy options for the wheels, etc.

I did this project! It works GREAT! The instructions you provided were VERY helpful. My wife wanted the 1″ flat bar instead of the 3/4″. That made the bending a little more difficult than expected. I won’t say that the bends for the hangers are perfect by any means but they work and look good. I did mess up on one thing. I was planning a 1″ gap between the top of the door and the bottom of the track. Somehow I messed up on the measurements and mounted the board and track highter than expected. The gap turned out to be a little over 2 inches. My wife did bring up a good point in that the extra space would prove helpful if it was ever decided to box in the track and hardware to hide it. We used antique doors we found in an second-hand shop. I did make one more modification to your design. Instead of the roller and c channel at the bottom of the door, I saw a youtube video where they used a slit cut in the bottom of the door and a plastic door guide. You cut a 1/8 – 1/4 slit along the bottom edge of the door. A thin plastic door guide (from Lowe’s) is then screwed to the floor and rides inside of the slit on bottom of the door. It’s completely invisible from view and keeps the door from swaying. Overall the results look great and my family loves it! Thanks for your posting!!!

Hey there! I hope people who try your instructions will post photos for others to admire (hint, hint). BTW, why not consider doing a bit of research into producing a barn door kit for people? Once you cost it out, you could then consider launching on Kickstarter or Indiegogo as a project. If you go with the “fixed funding” you then protect yourself as you only go ahead if all the necessary funds are raised — so helps protect you against risk of building and not having enough buyers. Backers are basically giving you funds in advance and waiting for production. It could be a great success! I hope you might consider it.

Forget the Clintons or the Obamas. You two are my Couple of the Year! I have been trying for months to buy an affordable vintage hanger system on eBay. Forget that too. I can make this look vintage and who will know? Thank you very much. Merry Christmas.

So, any chance we can see that door making process? I’m needing this for an oversize opening. I was considering using your hardwood table idea to make the door, but wanted a little more interest in some trim and edging. If I do I will be sure to post some ideas.

Thanks for the plans. I’m in the process of doing this for a dining room door and have all the supplies except for the pulley wheels. Can’t find a god source for these,,,,where did you get them? Thx again!

Love that you have such a handy husband. That’s a great partnership!
I thought I would share what I’m doing with my limited budget (after the recent price increases in materials over the last month). I remembered my dad going to a local feed store when we built our barn years ago. I loved the doors he made. So, now that we are building…I want to recreate those doors and bring them inside. I called several feed stores and found they differed in pricing, but not product. Feed stores sell everything you need to create a great barn door. Here’s what CAL Ranch quoted:
6′ galvanized track – $24
8′ – $31
10′ – $39
12′ – $47

Very nice tutorial. I wanted to share my experience with you in case it is useful. I just recently began seeing “barn doors” on Pinterest. This caused me lots of laughs. My husband and I built our own house. We wanted a pocket door at the top of the basement stairs but they were too pricy. So, we decided upon a barn type sliding door….in 1995! We were ahead of our time! We used reclaimed track from a barn door that we had at the farm. Our rollers are made from a poly. We fabricated the hanging straps ourselves to match other decor. The one detail that I think might be of interest is how we did the bottom. He routed a channel in the bottom of the door but not all the way through the edge of either side. Then we screwed an upside down T shaped metal piece to the floor. That channel sets over the leg of the T and the door slides on it. This way the door can’t go too far either direction while sliding and is retained at the bottom. Very handy with three boys and a door at the top of the stairs.

Well done…….thx and thx for the great detailed instructions. Love it when I know what parts to purchase up front. Save $$$$ on gas making only one trip to the home improvement store. I’m sure we can all relate to that. I will be taking on this project in the next couple of weeks now that it does not cost 400 for the hardware.

Hello babyrabies! Ok I have completed my door and it is gorgeous. It is HUGE 57″ wide and 83″ tall. I want to follow your tutorial for the hardware but do you think weight is a problem? I don’t know how much mine weighs but it’s really heavy. I need 116″ of track. Any advice?

Omg get some “antique non swivel casters (could fab those the sane way, but larger ‘wheels/pulleys’ and fab a square metal 4 bolt bracket to each corner of huge door, then it rolls on the floor and the weight is mostly off the track. Sound awesome ;D (I’m picturing rustic)

Hi
I built a similar system a few years ago but I liked yours better. I also built a few for other people and a few wanted color. So I bead blasted all the steel and had it powder coated (tons of color). Ask you husband if he can figure a way of using his system for a bypass setup.

Thank you so much for creating this tutorial. I used your husband’s step by step instructions to creating a barn door of my own. With a little tweaking here and there I removed a pocket door and replaced it with a 5’6″ door that looks awesome! There is a public photo album of my finished product on fb that shows how these instructions can be used to create a rail system of any size. Thanks again, Paul

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The extra strength of the Doors. Of course, the prices vary accordingly.
If youre hanging a rod inside the window trim you dont have to find any studs or any solid wood to screw into?
After a year you’re ready to rip them out and go back to that moldy shower curtain. Looking for any kind of measurements. In usual case the door is simple and there are no excess gap or lack of space for bifold door structure. You have many different uses in many different styles of garage door is usually 7-10 years with normal use.

i would try and use the spoon to serrate the edges of the butterknife (make the edges jagged like a saw).

then, i’d attempt to saw the tree down. it would take days, possible even weeks.. . you should also be able to find a rock or something to use to file down either the tips of the spoons, or make a sharp blade on the butterknife.

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I wanted to hang it from the ceiling in the middle of the room like a divider and double swing so you could push two doors in front of an other. It will drop down about two foot from the ceiling is there anyway to make it strong enough it would wobble badly.

Hey! I realize this is sort of off-topic but I had to ask. Does managing a well-established blog like yours take a large amount of work?

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Very thorough and helpful tutorial. I’m about to embark on a barn door headboard journey (for my wife) of my own. It would be helpful to know exactly what you used for the shaft of the wheel to keep it in place. Maybe I missed it on the materials list. Thanks for the blog and any help you can offer.

Hey this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG
editors or if you have to manually code with HTML.
I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding knowledge so I wanted to
get guidance from someone with experience.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

We are working on finishing our basement and thought about using
these sort of doors on a closet. Your doors are beautiful! The detailed tutorial is very helpful, but could you give more detail
on how you attached the back rollers to the doors. Like you, I have kids that may not be so gentle with the doors and don’t want to put
a guide on the floor. Thanks

Fantastic! Do you have any ideas for bypass barn doors? I do not have enough wall to the sides. Good with making the doors themselves but that hardware is tricky! Really great idea. Thank you for sharing. C

Can’t thank you enough for the detailed tutorial and supply list! My husband and I searched and searched for a good tutorial to build the track ourselves and never found one until last week when I came across your post through a Google image search. We put ours together this weekend and LOVE it!! http://waltonblog.com/?p=246 Exactly what we were looking for. Thanks again!

Great instructions! just a little insider scoop for other DIYers – she’s right that you can’t find flat bar steel pieces longer than 72″ in any of the big stores, but a GREAT option is to head to your local welder. They have all of this stuff on-hand with lots of different widths and will cut to length for no additional cost. I got 14 feet of steel, cut to the exact lengths I wanted, for $14.00. TOTAL!

Fantastic! Well done:) Will you tell me more specifics on the back door roller pieces and aluminum c-channel strip? A short tutorial & detailed photos (bc cannot see here) would be SO very helpful. Would like to DIY the barn door hardware but share same concern around wild children pulling it off track & onto themselves!!! THank you in advance.

I was wondering if you can tell me where to purchase the c-channel strip with the rollers. I have tried to find it before but haven’t had luck. Did you buy it from a metal company or online? I’m in the middle of making a barn door now and am stoked to finally have it done after it being on my to-do list for years!

Thnk you very much for the time you took to post this Amazing tutorial! I have been looking very hard for one like this. We have 2 doors we need to get up, and I believe my husband can accomplish this!

rather than using a “masonry”blade, metal cutting abrasive blades can be purchased for the same price and work much better on steel than a masonry blade which is designed for cutting brick, block, stone and mortar. Also, thin kerf steel cutting blades for a 4 inch side grinder work much better on the steel than the wide abrasive blades (btw, I am a lifelong mason—over 50 years) as a professional, word to the wise—using the CORRECT tool/blade for the job makes for a much better project.

If you opt for the thin kerf (very narrow) side grinder blades, they are available in many sizes but the most common are 4″ and 4 1/2″. I strongly recommend using the blades labeled for stainless steel. pennies difference in price but they will last much longer than the non-ss blades. word of caution—do NOT try to “force” these blades, they will break! a gentle touch will cut faster and more accurately than trying to force the tool.

I thank you and your husband for being so good about the details on this project. My husband and I want to make a door ourselves and this along with EPBOT’s information is going to make the project much easier. Believe me, when my husband and I do a project together, it’s best to have detailed information or we end up not speaking to one another in the evening. hehehehe.

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*dies laughing* some of these comments… he is NOT mental. He is damn good at what he does…damn good I say! I’m a detail person as well in my line of work. How beautiful! Yes, I can totally relate at the “fun” you had. Haha My hunnie is his polar opposite…he does not read, cut the cord on the saw when he sat the saw down no less than 15 min after saying he was doing great, cut the cord right off the brand new hedge trimmers in less than 10 seconds of turning them on playing Edward Scissorhands…

I grew up in a family of builders and married an IT computer man that wears gloves to mow. Smh. Needless to say, our attempts at building things together have NOT went well as every CUT IS OFF….A LOT HAHAHA

Should Scott happen to be available for rent and in my area…or trade for services…haha my guy does have mad computer software and technology skills. So we all have something…building is NOT OURS! Haha beautiful work you two. Love these doors!